Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has expressed his frustration at transfer policies of the club. In an interview with the London Evening Starndard, Adams referred to Arsenal as a 'feeder club' and said that Arsenal are not a resilient side anymore.

On Montpellier vs Arsenal:

"I expect Arsenal to roll them over because I don’t think Montpellier are the talent they were last year. This time last year, it would have been a very interesting game. It’s a bit like us playing Manchester United before we sold our centre-forward, Robin van Persie, to them."

On Arsenal:

“It’s the same scenario with Montpellier and Olivier Giroud — we’ve become a feeder club and it’s like different levels of clubs all of a sudden.

My experience is that when you play away from home in Europe, it is very important to be resilient and Arsenal are not known for being resilient.

That can change but I’d say that in games they haven’t won, they haven’t done a professional job.

We’ve not had the greatest success in Europe but I do feel that the whole team have got to be defensively solid away from home and I don’t think it is in a lot of these guys’ nature. Hence, when you open up, you can concede.

There is no way in a million years Arsene is going to change his philosophy but I don’t think this team are good enough to win it.

I expect them to score goals but they cannot win the Champions League with their current mentality. I hope they prove me wrong but against the better teams I think they will fall short again.

I am not alone here — I think most of the Arsenal fans would agree with me. Strange things happen, like Chelsea winning with not the greatest team in the world, but they did have the whole team fighting to keep clean sheets.

To actually think you are going to play Barcelona or Real Madrid off the pitch... I don’t think this team are good enough to do that.

I think they will beat Montpellier but in recent years you just fear they cannot go away from home and do a professional job.

The thing is, they have to do it for two or three years before they get that reputation back as a resilient side.

They have sent out the wrong message piece by piece for seven years and it chips away at your credibility. Selling your best players is part of that.”

On managing a Premier League side:

“I’ve done the lower leagues and it’s a different style of managing. No disrespect but I don’t want to be Swansea boss, either. They probably don’t want me. Aston Villa? What’s the point? What can you do with them? So it’s the Arsenal or nothing and I’m not ready for that.

But I’d love to manage Arsenal one day. Not at the moment because they have a very good manager who is off selling all their best players so I’d better not go there next week!

I need something in between, maybe in Europe. My reputation as a coach is very good in Holland.

I worked there for a long time at Feyenoord and Utrecht as a first team coach. If a mid-table team became available in Holland, although I wouldn’t do it in England because of my playing career, I would do it there.

I see some managers that would take any club and get on the conveyor belt but it is not for me. I’d rather go and watch my kids play football.”